Best of The Gazette, March 18: Kindness, a geyser and a skiing dog

Kadee Mae glides through the snow in her wheelchair mounted with custom-made skis. After a back injury paralyzed Kadee Mae's hind legs, her owner bought her a wheelchair and attached skis to it.

The Gazette publishes a lot of news in a week. Combine that with all the distractions a weekend brings, and that means there's a good chance you might have missed some important stories. Here's a look at of some of The Gazette's best content from the last week or so:

Rep. Paul Ryan got the national discussion about poverty that he asked for, but it isn't going the way he wanted. The Janesville Republican's comments recently have resulted in accusations of racism and claims that he is unable to understand the lives of poor people.

Harrison Elementary staff are trying to encourage respect through their one-of-a-kind Kindness Week project. At least one student believes in the program. “This week teaches people that you shouldn't just be kind at school,” said Zoe Williams, a fifth-grader at Harrison. “You should be kind everywhere.”

Jason Knott, who has coached at Edgerton High School for 15 years, will take over as principal at J.C. McKenna Middle School in Evansville next year. Though the decision has been a hard one, he said an increased intrusion into the public school system by state legislators left him feeling powerless.

It will soon be time to head north and open up the cabin for the season, sports columnist D.S. Pledger writes. Most years this is a greatly anticipated trip, but this spring he's feeling a bit of trepidation. After a winter of deep snow and intense cold, he's afraid of what he might find.

It's a myth that employees are stuck in minimum-wage jobs and need legislation to earn raises, The Gazette Editorial Board writes. These are starter jobs. Anyone with gumption, ambition and intelligence won't stay at such a wage long.

For about three years, The Gazette tried squeezing stories and information about local elections and candidates into daily editions, but no more. Instead, the paper is going back to publishing a special election preview section, Editor Scott Angus writes. Expect it Wednesday, March 26.

The Penn and Teller documentary “Tim's Vermeer,” which opened Friday, March 14, at Madison's Sundance Cinemas, has a surprisingly local connection: Teresa Nguyen of Janesville. Her cousin is Tim Jenison, the Texas-based inventor whose attempt to solve one of art's greatest mysteries is documented in the film.

With all of the snow we've had this winter, garden blogger Janice Peterson is feeling very hopeful about her perennials. That's because an insulating layer of snow actually protects these organisms from the hourly temperature fluctuations that create plant cell havoc.

A new bill could outlaw the use of automated political calls in Wisconsin. As a person who was inundated with such calls during the last election season, community blogger John W. Eyster is hopeful that the proposal will succeed.

A water main rupture in Janesville on Sunday afternoon sent debris and water shooting at least 30 feet into the air. A large piece of the street likely fell against the broken main and partially plugged it like a finger over a garden hose, causing the geyser, water department crew foreman Mike Fosmoen said. “Never in 35 years have I seen anything like it. Never.”